School Days
by Otaku Kid1996
Summary: Roxas is having a hard time. He's stuck at with a dad that's never home, he hardly ever goes to school, his grades are slipping badly, and to top it all off, he has a habit of cutting himself to drown it all out. Then Axel came along and changed everything. Warning for self harm, some swearing, and yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I apologize to anyone and everyone who is currently following my stories. First, this is a long AN. Second, my phone hasn't been really working as well lately so I haven't been able to upload stories lately. I promise you guys that no matter what, I will not abandon my stories ever. I can't always keep promises, but that's a promise that I will NEVER brake. Thank you everyone who has been supporting me so far. I love you guys so much! ^_^ Seriously, all I started out with in the beginning when I started writing was a Death Note oneshot (originally titled L's Story) and a Kingdom Hearts oneshot with the first review calling it "confusing…" ._.' Life sucked and I never wanted to do anything. Hell, I never even left my bed unless I had to go to school and even then, I was falling behind in everything. If I wasn't in an alternative high school, I'd have eventually dropped out. But once I got reviews, followers, and people who favorite me and my stories, I got better at writing, I was a little happier, and I actually had a reason to get up every day again. I had people actually interested in what I was putting up. I've been doing better in school and even though I still need to catch up, I'm almost there! You guys are awesome and always so supportive and really nice to me. My life isn't perfect and I still have a crap to deal with right now, but with awesome people like you guys, I can actually bear it a little. So thank you all for reading, even if you haven't read my previous works and you just started reading this today. THANK YOU! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Oh the part where they're watching tv, I got the comedian bit from Daniel Tosh's Happy Thoughts. I couldn't really remember it that well, since it's been FOREVER since I've watched it, so I just put what I could remember and whatnot. It won't be perfect. :P**

**Warnings… Well, there's some yaoi in here. I missed AkuRoku day, so this is more or less my way of making up for that. Oh, some language may be deemed "inappropriate" for people. That's about it. So… Enjoy!**

I groaned as I heard a Spice by Len Kagamine blast in my ears. I really needed to change my ringtone… Why did I listen to Vocaloid, again? Oh well. I covered myself with my black and white checkered comforter, making sure to block out any light that I knew would be coming from my window despite the blinds that were covering it. My cell phone eventually stopped ringing. I relaxed and tried to fall back asleep. No way was I going to school today. I just didn't feel up to it. My phone went off again. I sighed and reached for it somewhere on my bed. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. I pushed the "talk" button and brought the phone to my ear with my head still under the covers.

"Mnn… Hello?" I said, groggily.

"Hey, it's seven thirty," I heard a familiar voice say on the other side of the phone. "Are you still asleep?"

"Well, I _was._" I grumbled.

"Come on, Roxas. Come to school today. I didn't see you yesterday."

"That's because I didn't feel like showing up, Demyx. Now please let me get some sleep."

"Oh, come ooonnn!" He whined. "Can't you just show up and on time for once?"

"No. Now, goodbye."

"Roxas! Don't be like that!"

"Like what? I'm tired…"

Demyx huffed. "Fine… I'll see you Monday, then?"

"Yeah, sure. Later."

"Bye, Roxy."

"Don't call me that…"

I didn't really bother with waiting for a response. Instead, I just hit "end call", put my phone down, and rolled over in bed as I tried to fall back asleep. No one would bother to wake me up or take me to school anyways, and I didn't feel like walking. I was living with my dad for the time being. Before this, I was with my mom and siblings, but me and my step dad don't really get along. In fact, you could say we kinda hate each other. I have an older brother, Ventus, a younger brother, Sora, and an even younger sister named Xion. I haven't really bothered to go back to my mom's house in weeks so it's been a while since I've seen them all. My mom married this guy, Zach, when I was maybe six or seven and I still haven't "warmed up" to him. In fact, the man drives me insane. He only worries about himself and appearances. He spoils my sister Xion rotten, but I guess it's somewhat understandable. She was born when I was nine, meaning she's the only one of us that's actually "his". Although what bothers me is that she could probably sleep with the whole football team at her high school when she's older and she'll probably get away with it. I don't think she would, of course. Zach sucks at raising kids, but my mom knows what she's doing.

So, for now, I was living in my dad's apartment in the middle of Twilight Town. He was probably at work right now. He usually got off of work around two or three o'clock. I didn't really expect him to get home on time, though. He never did come home on time anymore. When I first got here, things were going really well. My dad would go to work and I would walk to school. The apartments weren't too far away from the high school, although he'd give me rides every once in a while. He'd be home by the time I got there and we'd just hang out. Usually it was things like watching tv or just being lazy bums lying around. Other times we'd actually go somewhere like the park.

But now, things were different. My dad hardly ever came home after work and would spend his time drinking or gambling. I don't know why he picked up these habits, but it clearly wasn't a good thing. He'd sometimes show up for a small amount of time, then he'd go off to a casino or something and blow some money. It used to be, he'd come home on time, leave around eleven at night and be home in an hour. Now, I don't really expect him to be "home" at all. He would say, "Roxas, I'll be home in an hour" every single time. I decided not to worry about whether or not he'd be home and fell back asleep after a couple of minutes.

I woke up and checked the time on my phone. It was already 12:30 p.m. I got up and went to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and got dressed in a black pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. I didn't really bother with my hair. I just brushed it out and left it like that. I put on a white and black checkered hoodie and then my black converse. I went over to a jar lying on the kitchen counter and pulled some change out. I had five crumpled up dollar bills and five more dollars in quarters. I stuffed them in my jeans pocket and grabbed my spare key to the apartment before leaving and locking the door behind me. I doubt that anyone would even bother braking in, but it doesn't hurt to lock the door.

I walked over to a nearby McDonald's and had a burger and some fries. I didn't really bother with a soda because the McDonald's here had really watered down soda. Instead, I went and bought a can of soda at a convenient store and just started to walk around town. There really wasn't much to do. Maybe I should have showed up to school today. Oh well. If I felt like it, I'd just show up late. Not much they could do until I couldn't come up with a reason for showing up late. At the building I went to school at, you could be absent as long as you had a real reason for it. Like doctor appointments, a job, Hell some students there had kids to take care of. Where I'm at, no one really judges you for that, anyways. No one has much room to talk. That's life at our "Career Academy", which is just a nice way of saying "alternative high school for druggies, drop outs, pregnant chicks, and delinquents." I wasn't really any of these things, but I had missed so much school on my freshman year that I was way behind in classes.

This was my junior year, but I did almost nothing last year due to lack of motivation and attendance issues. I was barely doing sophomore classes this year. As you can see, I suck. Demyx always tells me to get to school on time and to keep trying. I really do want to take his advice to heart, I want to do better for myself. But I never really do anything about it. I know that I'm eventually going to have to change that, but I wouldn't really know where to start. Demyx tries to help, but he has his own things to worry about. I can't just let him baby me.

As I walked around the small town, I wondered where I should go. There really wasn't that much to do here. I could just wait at the apartment, but that would be boring. I decided to just walk around aimlessly until I found something to do. After at least thirty minutes of walking around, I found a bench near an abandoned park to sit at. I sat there and ate my "breakfast". After I finished it, I threw my garbage in a nearby trash bin. I sat there with my hands in my pockets and leaned back against the bench with my head looking up at the cloudy sky. I sighed, wondering how Sora and Xion were doing. I considered texting Sora, but decided against it. If he had my number, my mom would end up with it. That wouldn't really end well… I wondered if Ventus was doing alright. He moved out a year ago and I haven't really had much contact with him…

"Hey, shouldn't you be in middle school, kid?"

I snapped my head up to see someone around my age walking towards me. He had red, spikey hair and emerald green eyes. He was kind of tall and really scrawny. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a black zip-up hoodie. He sat down on the bench right next to me. From up close, I noticed he had purple tear drop tattoos under his eyes. I really hoped he wasn't in a gang or anything… In these parts, tear drop tattoos weren't really a good sign… I shifted a little to my left.

"I'm not in middle school," I muttered.

"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear you."

"I said I'm not in middle school," I said a little louder.

"How old are you?"

"….."

"What, ya think I'm gonna hurt you or something? I just wanna know your age, kid."

"…. 16…"

"Really? 'Cause you're really short for your age."

"….." I'm not that short, am I?

"Well, I'm 17, if you must know," He said as if I actually asked him. "What's your name?"

"….."

"I'm Axel, got it memorized?" he said, tapping his index finger to his left temple.

"….."

"Geez, don't talk my ear off now. We just met." He grinned. I didn't really respond. "So, uh, shouldn't you still be in school?"

"….. Shouldn't you?" I muttered.

"Hey, a response! And yeah, I probably should be in school. But I just moved here yesterday and I haven't really registered yet. I'm supposed to go to this 'alternative high school', apparently."

"…" Well, great. That meant I'd probably run into him again. I guess there's no point in hiding information. Demyx would be excited that someone was actually trying to socialize with me and answer any questions for me. Well, that is, if this Axel guy actually bothered trying to talk to me again.

"Geez, you're such a zombie." He stood up. I looked up at him. "Come on," he said.

"Where?" I asked.

"I don't know. But do you really wanna sit here all day?"

I shrugged and stood up. Maybe I shouldn't be walking off with random strangers. But, I had nothing to lose. I walked with Axel and we ended up eating sea salt ice cream which is surprisingly delicious.

That was the day Axel and I met. And the day where things started to officially change for me.

After a while, Axel asked if I had to be home at a specific time. I thought about it for a while. I really didn't since my father wasn't going to be home any time soon. Although, it wad already 10:39 p.m. and Axel might find it suspicious if I don't. Although, for some reason, I really didn't want to go just yet... I can't really put my finger in why this was... But I actually liked being around this guy, which was strange because we just met and even though he'd talk my ear off about random things, I really wouldn't say much back. I guess I just didn't want to be alone.

I said no.

He looked at me skeptically, but didn't ask why.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"Don't you... have to be home soon? It's getting late, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah it is kinda late... But my mom doesn't really mind. As long as I let her know where I'm at and that I'm okay, it's fine."

"... really?"

"Yeah. I guess that makes her sound irresponsible, but she really isn't that bad."

I nodded my head in response, knowing that even if she WAS that bad I really had no room to judge.

"So, where do you wanna go?" he asked.

"..."

"Oh come on, quit being such a zombie, Roxas." He eventually got me to tell him my name. "We've been sitting in this same spot for maybe and hour, now. Isn't there anywhere you like to go?"

I looked at the ground and shook my head. "... what about you...?"

"I'm new, remember?" he tapped his temple again. "I don't really know my way around town. That's why I was just walking anywhere when you didn't answer me when I asked where you wanted to go."

"Hmmmn... Well, I don't really do much. This is a small town so there isn't much you can do. Well, there isn't so long as you wanna stay out of trouble, I guess... I usually stay at my apartment or just wonder around town until I find something to do."

"That's the most you've talked today, you know that?"

"Huh?" I looked up at him and he grinned.

"Maybe you're not such a zombie after all."

I almost smiled at that.

"So... How 'bout we go to your place then? Is that okay?"

"Wha..." This guy barely knew me and he wanted to come over? What the Hell?

"If that's okay, of course. I don't want to get you in trouble with your parents or anything."

I shook my head. "No, I won't get in trouble, it's jus-"

"Great!" he said, standing up. "Lead the way, Roxas."

"Huh...? Why are you...so eager to go to some strangers house...? You're not some creepy stalker or something are you?" I stood up.

"Hmm?" He arched a brow and laughed. Just laughed! He wouldn't stop, either.

"Hey!" my eyes narrowed. "What's so funny, damn it!"

He finally stopped laughing and said, "Does no one trust people around here? Like I said, I'm new. I just wanna make some friends here."

"... friends...?"

"Yeah, friends! Y'know, the type of people who hang out together all the time and laugh at stupid shit? Freeeiiindss."

"I know what friends are," I snapped.

"Then, come on, buddy. Lead the way."

We walked to my father's apartment which only took maybe ten minutes. I unlocked the door for us to get in and closed the door behind us when we walked in. Axel looked around. He walked into the small kitchen area with a fridge that barely closed right and a really old microwave, into my dad's room which only had some clothes, some empty beer bottles and cans and a bed, then over to my room with a bed, a nightstand, and a closet with a few clothes in it. He then made his way to the bathroom which was right next to my room and back over to the area I was in (does this qualify as a living room...?) where there were a couple of couches and a tv along with a coffee table.

"Nice place," he remarked. "Where's your parents?"

"My... My father is at work," I lied.

"Oh, well okay then." I was bad at lying when I got nervous and I knew he could tell I was lying. I'm glad he didn't say anything, though. "And your mom?"

I looked down at the floor. "With my step dad..."

It got quiet for a moment and I could tell he didn't realy know what to say. After a minute ir two, he took his shoes off and left them by the door. Then he unzipped his hoodie and left it on the floor. I didn't really mind of course.

"Christ, it's hot in here," he said. "Do you have an AC?"

"It doesn't work..."

"Well, aren't you hot in that thing?" he asked, gesturing towards my own hoodie.

I shrugged. Truth be told, I was really hot in it. But I didn't like to take it off around other people unless my shirt had sleeves. The T-shirt I was wearing didn't.

"Why not take it off?" he asked.

Again, I shrugged. "Doesn't matter..." I muttered.

He raised an eyebrow at me but again he didn't say anything.

"So when does your dad get home?"

"My father won't be home until tomorrow," I lied again. This time, it was easier to sell the lie.

"Isn't it lonely here?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?" I snapped. What was wrong with me? He was just curious... But he was getting too nosy...

"Oh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't ask so many questions."

I instantly felt like an asshole.

I wanted to apologize, but I never did. To avoid any more awkward moments, I turned the tv on and we sat down and watched tv. I wasn't really paying attention to what was on, so I just let him pick whatever he wanted to watch. When I started paying attention, I saw that it was on Comedy Central. He was watching a comedian. I couldn't really put my finger on who it was, though.

"Oh," the guy said. "Have you seen that commercial where the little girl comes home from school one day and is all 'Mommy, mommy! My teacher said I can marry a princess some day if I want to!' And then it's all, 'What are you gonna do when your little kid says that?' It's like the people of California were like 'Oh, we have to talk to our kids?! Sorry queers, nope.' And then gay marriage was suddenly illegal."

I heard Axel start to laugh. I guess it was kind of funny. I wonder what Axel's view on that was anyways... Would it be appropriate to ask him that? It might be awkward, so I just won't ask. After a while, the comedy special was over. Axel flipped through the channels and I SWEAR it's like the universe WANTED me to say something about it!

It started out with a commercial with a website and a number that teens could call for support if they were gay, lesbian, questioning, well you get it. Then there was this show about a woman with a gay ex-husband, although I don't think I've ever seen it before... Then there was that one commercial with Hillary Duff...

"... when you say 'that's gay', do you realize what you say? Knock it off."

"That commercial was gay," Axel said.

"Huh?" he really didn't strike me as a homophobe.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not really cracking a gay joke there. Those commercials are annoying."

"Why?"

"Since when was Hilary Duff the spokesperson for the gay community? And I'm pretty sure gay people don't actually get offended by that unless the person gets hurt over everything."

I thought about it. "I guess you're right..."

It was quiet for a moment.

"So... What do you think...? About that kind of stuff...?" I asked awkwardly.

"Huh? What, you mean homosexuals?"

"Yeah..."

"I figure, who cares?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, whatever a person's preference is, that's their business, isn't it? Who cares about what others are doing or about what others think?"

"... Good point..."

"What about you?"

"Uhm..." I felt my face get warm and looked away so he couldn't see me blushing. "I... uh... I, I uhm... I don't... know..."

"You okay, Roxas?"

"Y-yeah... of course I am..."

"You know Roxas, if you're gay, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Huh?" my eyes widened.

"It's perfectly fine if you're into guys, you know."

"I...!" I stood up, feeling embarassed. I could tell my face was completely red. "I'm not... I-I-I'm not... I'm not gay!"

"Woah, relax. I'm sorry if I upset you..." he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"I..." I sat back down. "It's fine... sorry I overreacted..." I felt a little ridiculous at this point.

"Just so we're clear," Axel said. "You may not be, but... Well, I am. So as long as you're okay with that, it's fine."

I was surprised that he could be so open about it. I wasn't. I was terrified about people knowing I was gay. I can't even tell gay people that I'm gay. If I had a journal, I wouldn't even bother writing anything about that.

"Yeah, I'm okay with that," I said. "Like you said, there's nothing wrong with that."

I offered him a smile and for the first time in a long time, it was a genuine smile I was giving. Axel knew I was gay. That much was obvious. But he didn't pry, he didn't say anything, he didn't do anything. Axel was okay with it and didn't want to make me admit it. I was starting to think that we really could be friends.

We watched more tv and after a while, I saw Axel nodding off. I checked the time... it was already 2 a.m.!

"Hey, Axel...?"

"Hmmm?" he responded.

"It's already two in the morning... Are you tired?"

"Yeahh... I'll just walk home, now..." he tried to stand up, but fell back on his butt before he even got to stand up properly.

"Come on, you can stay the night here, Axel."

"But... where..?" he said groggily. I thought for a moment. In the unlikely event of my father coming back to the apartment, I don't think he'd appreciate some random teenager in his bed.

"You can use my bed," I said.

"But it's-" he yawned. "Your bed."

"I'll be fine. Just get some sleep."

"Mmmkay..." he nodded.

I lead him over to my room and let him sleep on my bed. It felt too weird to sleep on my father's bed, so I was just lying on the couch, thinking about what weird day this was. Axel...

"Something tells me things are gonna change around here..." I sighed. I rolled over on the couch and tried to fall asleep. Eventually, I did. I didn't really dream, but I fell asleep thinking of Axel. Geez, I was acting like I had a crush on him. Which I didn't for the record!

**A/N: Well, this kinda sucked but I had to write it. This is one of the longest chapter I've ever written. :D But, you probably shouldn't be used to that, sorry... Well, school started last Tuesday, so if I have enough time, I might be able to update my chapters. My phone is finally letting me again. YAY! XD Please review, because I need to know if this sucked or not. Thanks for reading! Ja ne!**


	2. Friends

**A/N: Thank you my lovely readers for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story! When I saw that it had even 7 followers, I was actually pretty surprised. I wasn't expecting even that many, because I was really unsure about how the first chapter came out. I don't write too many Kingdom Hearts fan fictions. Especially since most of what I write on here is Death Note. Then there's the fact that I don't have a beta, the fact that I didn't really look over the last chapter to fix anything before uploading it, and the fact that I'd just typed it up on the spot and put it up. .-. I thought about the fic when I was staying at my dad's apartment and at first, this was just venting. But now this actually has viewers. Thank you guys so much for the support! Oh, and I'm gonna try and name each chapter (except for the first one, of course) after the name of a certain cutscene or journal entry in Kingdom Hearts** 358/2** Days. It seems dorky and unnecessary, but oh well! XP Now, please enjoy! Oh, one more thing! I don't really like the title of this fic... "School Days" was jist something I came up with on the spot. ._.; If you guys have any suggestions for a new name, PLEASE let me know! And I apologize in advance for the short chapter!**

I woke up the next morning with a sore neck. I groggily sat up, wondering why I'd even fallen asleep on the couch in the first place. I stood up and popped my neck and back a couple of times before making my way to the kitchen. Man, was I hungry. I opened the fridge and checked its contents. There was… not much, I can tell you that much.

There was a half empty gallon of milk that was a week past its expiration date, some eggs that were also past their sell by date, an almost empty bottle of ketchup, some cream cheese, a few other condiments like mustard or steak sauce… the only thing drinkable was beer. And lots of it, too. I closed the fridge sighing before checking the freezer. In there was a box of fish sticks that'd been sitting there for almost a year and really old left overs with freezer burn on them. I don't know why I always checked the fridge and freezer if I already knew there'd be nothing in there.

I went and checked the cabinets. There was a box of mac n cheese, a can of tuna, and two cups of ramen. I decided to go with the soup. I pulled one of the cups out and took off the plastic wrapping around it. Then I opened the little lid and added water from the tap before setting it in the microwave for three minutes.

I leaned on a counter with a tires sigh and reached into my pocket, pulling out my cell phone. I checked the time. Six-thirty. Damn… Why did I sleep in on school days, yet I always woke up early on the weekends? I hated that. I put my phone back in my pocket. Then I heard a door open.

Was it my father? No… it sounded like it came from where my bedroom was… My father always slept in his own room when he actually came back, even if he was too wasted to walk right. My heart practically skipped a beat. Who the hell was in my apartment?! I heard soft footsteps, then a door opened and closed. After a few long seconds, I heard the toilet flush and running water. Then- what I'm guessing was the bathroom door- opened and I heard footsteps slowly make their way over to the living room area.

I grabbed the thing closest to me and it turned out to be a fork. What the fuck? This wouldn't help! I tried again, dropping the fork on the counter, and found the broom this time. Well, it gave me more defense than a fork at least. I stood in a more defensive stance, getting ready to attack any unwanted intruder that would come out at any moment.

Then I saw the red hair.

Then I felt like the dumbest person alive for forgetting that I let that guy sleep over last night. Axel was his name, right? I set the broom down, the sound of it hitting the wall with a small 'thud' making him turn around. He looked at me and grinned.

"Morning, Sunshine," he said. "Nice bedhead."

I quickly combed through my hair with my fingers, fixing my hair to the best of my ability. Axel just laughed. I glared at him.

"Y'know," he said. "You're adorable when you're trying to look angry." I blushed and looked away, unsure of what to say. "See? You're adorable! I'd already have a crush on you if you weren't straight." He laughed some more. I knew he was joking, but it was still kinda messed up. The idea of this guy calling me adorable… NO! I was not going to start having a crush on him. That was _not_ gonna happen!

"Ass…" I muttered.

"Relax," Axel said, still laughing. "I said you're adorable. It's not like I'm really trying to hit on you."

"I know that," I snapped.

"Geez, you sound so angry Roxas. Relax."

I sighed. "Whatever…"

The microwave beeped and I turned around to get my food. Once I pulled it out, I grabbed the fork I dropped on the counter and got to eating my "breakfast."

"Hey, mind if I get myself something to eat?" Axel asked.

I shrugged, swallowing some noodles down before saying, "Go ahead if you ca find anything you like." And by that, I meant anything that you can actually eat. Axel nodded and went over to the fridge. He opened it and pulled the eggs out.

"Those are spoiled," I warned. He looked at the date and narrowed his eyes at the carton of eggs before walking over to the trash can and throwing them away. He went back to the fridge and pulled the milk out, checking the date this time. Then he went and emptied it in the sink. After that, he rinsed the sink out and threw the empty gallon in the trash as well. I'd have remember to take the trash out later.

He went back and closed the fridge before walking away. Well that is, he was walking away until he noticed the fridge door swing right back open. He went and closed it again, only to have it swing open again. He glared at the fridge like it was something evil. I tried not to laugh at this.

"You, uh... have to sorta.. slam it closed," I said. "Then you have to hold it there for a few seconds before letting go of the handle."

Axel did just that and grimned triumphantly when it worked. Then he walked over to the cabinets, looking for something to eat. As he was looking, I saw the fridge open on its own once again. I laughed.

"Hey, you're laughing," Axel pointed out. "And here I was starting to think you were just a zombie. Good to see you have a sense of hum- Damn it! Is your fridge possessed?"

I laughed again, even harder this time. "I got it," I said. I managed to stop laughing and closed the fridge properly then went back to eating. Axel pulled out the last cup of ramen and made it for his own crappy breakfast.

"So.." he said. "You don't drink, do you?"

"Huh? Of course not, why?"

Axel should his head, saying, "It's nothing... Just, y'know, the only thing... that you can really consume in that fridge is beer.."

"Oh..." I looked down at the cup in my hand. "It's my father's..."

It was quiet for a moment. Axel didn't say anything. He probably wasn't sure what to say about that. We ate in total silence and when we finished, I threw the empty cups away and put the forks in the sink.

"Do you have to be home soon?" I asked. "I mean, you did stay the night here... You're mom isn't worried sick or anything, right?"

Axel shook his head, scratching the back if it before saying, "Nah. My mom's busy all the time. She was always at work at her last job back at Radiant Gardens. She quit he job and decided to move when she devorced my dad. My little brother Lea stayed there while I moved with my mom. She's just as busy here, though. She's never home. Leaving me alone in an empty house... She knows I won't stay put for very long and she knows I can handle myself and I'll be just fine."

"But... I heard that Radiant Gardens is an amazing city. Why move in to small town like Twilight Town? It doesn't make any sense..."

"It was either Twilight Town or Hollow Bastion. You think this town sucks? Hollow Bastion is a dump." He laughed a little. "Besides, my mom used to live here when she was younger. To her, this place is 'home'. For her, it's like coming back after a really long business trip." He smiled.

I nodded, not really saying anything.

"So," Axel said, changing the subject. "Where's your pops? I thought you said he'd be coming back from work today?"

I knew he was only curious but I couldn't help but feel like it was none of Axel's business.

"Well... He did, he comes back way early in the morning." I lied. "He had to go run some errands today so he'll be busy for quite some time."

Axel looked at me a little suspiciously, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he changed the subject again. "So, is there anywhere interesting to go in this town? You know, a nice place we can hang out and waste our time eating ice cream?"

"..." I realized something just then. "How do I know that I could trust you?"

"Huh?"

"It's just... we barely met yesterday... You just moved in to this town, so I don't know a whole lot about you except for what you've told me. I mean... no offense, but I don't know if I can just... trust someone I barely even know... Then you're asking to make plans to hang out..." I knew that wasn't fair, especially since I really did want to trust Axel. But I just couldn't help it.

Axel looked a little hurt for a moment. But then he just smiled. That was unexpected. "I know. Let's be friends! Okay?" He held his hand out for me to take.

"Huh?" I said brilliantly.

"That'll fix it, right?"

"Uh..."

"We'll be friends. You know, friends? People who hang out together, waste each other's time on things like eating ice cream or talking and laughing about stupid things that make no sense at all. Y'know, FRIENDS."

"I know what friends are," I snapped.

"Then lets be friends, okay?" His grin got even wider. I didn't say anything. For some reason, I couldn't say no to that. He was still holding his hand out. I finally took it ajd we shooks hands. I smiled just a litte. "So, anywhere we can hang out?" Axel asked again.

"Well..." I thought for a moment. "There is the old clock tower over at Station Heights..."

"The train station?"

".. Yeah."

"Sounds like a plan. Lead the way."

Why did I get the feeling that this new little "friendship" of ours was going to get complicated at some point?


End file.
